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Game of Thrones: Azeroth? This Is Westeros!
Game of Thrones: Starborn Conqueror
Game of Thrones: My Pets Evolve Into Dragons
Game of Thrones: Joffrey the Ruthless Emperor
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Theon still wasn't quite used to the weather on the Iron Islands. It was always grey, always misty. And the temperature didn't agree with him either—damp and cold. He felt like his clothes constantly gave off an unpleasant, musty smell.
He missed the weather at Winterfell. Although it wasn't warm most of the time there either, the sun could still make a man feel toasty.
He missed the days of sparring with Robb in the castle yard.
Attacking, defending, fighting in the narrow passages of Winterfell's towers—those were battles of pure will.
And now, he heard Robb had been crowned King, and his wife had given him twins.
Even Jon, that bastard, had somehow earned the Stark name and was betrothed to the daughter of House Tyrell.
Theon felt he was lagging far behind. He wanted to advance too. Although he could technically be considered a prince because Balon had declared himself King, this "princehood" was far from what he had imagined.
Especially since Balon seemed to prefer discussing matters with his sister, Asha, rather than him, the only surviving son.
Suddenly, Theon saw the castle Maester, looking hurried, clutching a letter as he sought out Balon.
"Maester Beron."
"Ser Theon."
Beron was over forty, but he looked much older. Theon believed the sea wind of the Iron Islands carried salt that aged a man prematurely.
Beron had a bald patch on his forehead that he tried to cover with long hair.
"There is a letter for you here, Prince Theon."
Mm... Prince Theon! Though he kept his face neutral, Theon was secretly delighted.
"Who is it from?"
"From Casterly Rock. A letter from Jon Stark."
Theon's eyes went wide. He snatched the letter from Beron's hand, his dark pupils dilating as he read it over and over. There could be no mistake.
"Jon, you bastard..." Theon murmured. He hadn't expected the bastard he used to look down on to grow to such heights.
When Stannis had named Jon the Duke of Casterly Rock while Tywin was still alive, Theon had planned to laugh at Jon's expense.
But now Jon had conquered Casterly Rock, subdued the West, and was about to marry Margaery Tyrell. It made Theon incredibly envious.
Although there was a bit of sourness in his heart, he was largely happy for him.
In the future, Jon would rule the West, Robb would rule the North, and he would rule the Iron Islands.
Jon had the fortress, Robb had the army, and he had the fleet. They would lack for nothing.
And with this connection, he wouldn't have to worry about his sister Asha fighting him for the heir's position.
With a mix of joy and a desire to show off, Theon hurried to Balon's chambers. On the way, he met a blonde maidservant and gave her bottom a hard pinch.
The maid squeaked like a frightened deer and trembled all over, which only improved Theon's mood.
When Theon arrived at Balon's room, a wave of dry heat hit his face. Sitting by the hearth were a man and a woman, one old and one young. The man in his fifties was Theon's father, Balon, his grey-white hair hanging down, swaying slightly with his movements like a sail on a longship.
The other person, whose features resembled Theon's, was his sister Asha. Asha had dark hair, a sharper face than Theon's, and eyes that always gleamed with a predatory light. At this moment, however, both Balon and Asha wore expressions of annoyance at being interrupted.
Having been a hostage at Winterfell for so many years, Theon had learned to read faces. He realized his father and sister didn't welcome him, so he quickly put on a smile.
"Father, Asha, I have good news." Theon waved the letter in his hand.
"What? Is your brother from Winterfell coming to see you?" Asha sneered.
After spending time with him, Asha was very dissatisfied with this younger brother. He was nearly twenty, yet he hadn't even seized a single ship, and he actually paid for the women he slept with! He was a disgrace to House Greyjoy.
So Asha always liked to use "brother from Winterfell" to mock him.
Theon's face fell. He didn't answer Asha because, influenced by "greenland culture," he still believed that he, the son, would ultimately inherit Balon's position. The key was how Balon viewed him.
Seeing Balon still looking at him, Theon adjusted his expression and said, "Father, it's Jon. He invited me to his wedding."
Theon excitedly handed the letter to Balon, completely missing the sneer on Asha's lips as she turned back to watch the fire in the hearth.
Balon brought the letter close to the firelight. Theon continued excitedly, "Now Robb rules the North, and Jon rules the West. We can use the iron ore from the Iron Islands to trade for Jon's gold, and then use Jon's gold to buy grain from the Riverlands and timber from the North to build more and bigger ships! That way our ships can go even further..."
Theon spoke with gusto, but suddenly, Balon tossed the letter into the fire.
"Theon, are you my son?! Are you a Greyjoy? Are you an Ironborn!!?" Balon asked coldly, choking all of Theon's words back into his throat.
"Father?" Theon was confused, standing there at a loss.
"My foolish brother," Asha turned to look at Theon. "Tell me, is there anything Ironborn about you now? Aside from bedding a few women in the West, what have you done?"
"I..." Theon still didn't know how to answer.
"I think you stayed in Winterfell too long. Your thinking is just like those people from the green lands!" Asha stood up and approached Theon. Although she was half a head shorter than him, Theon felt like a beast was closing in on him.
"Green lands" was a collective term or slur used by Ironborn for everyone on the continent of Westeros.
Hearing this, Theon suddenly had a familiar feeling, as if he had heard similar words somewhere before.
"If you want gold from the West, grain from the Riverlands, or timber from the North, the true way is to pay the 'Iron Price'! Your tone just now made me feel like you're no different from the merchants I plunder!" Asha said contemptuously.
The "Iron Price" she mentioned meant taking what you wanted with sword and arrow.
"Do you remember the Drowned God's teachings to the Ironborn? My brother?"
"We do not sow."
"Heh, seems you're not completely hopeless."
Asha sat back down by the hearth. Balon took up two-thirds of the space in front of the fire, and Asha took the other third. There was no place for Theon.
Asha turned to Balon and said, "But this bastard Ned raised has risen too fast."
"So what if he took Casterly Rock? The sea is vast, and he has no ships. Even if he occupies the West, he can only wait obediently for us to plunder him."
Go plunder Jon? Theon felt very uncomfortable inside.
Balon added, "This Jon is indeed a ruthless character. At least from the things he's done, his vision is not comparable to ordinary people."
Although Balon was fierce, he also knew the difficulty of conquering Casterly Rock. At least when he was raiding the West, he never entertained the idea of attacking Casterly Rock.
Unfortunately, the letter from the Citadel only stated that Casterly Rock had changed hands; it didn't say how Jon specifically conquered it. Balon was exceptionally curious about this.
Seeing that both his father Balon and sister Asha acknowledged Jon's strength, Theon breathed a sigh of relief. He tentatively asked, "Fa-Father, Jon invited me to his wedding. Should I go?"
"Go yourself," Balon said in a deep voice.
"Then I... I won't go," Theon quickly corrected himself.
"Gods, how do I have a son like you!" Balon said irritably. Asha explained for Theon, "My little brother, go if you want. If you can snatch his bride, I think the entire Iron Islands will treat you as a hero."
"Snatch... this..." Theon was choked speechless again.
Jon could defeat a fully armored knight with a wooden stick, and it was rumored he personally beheaded the Mountain on the battlefield. Theon dared not have any designs on Margaery.
"No one is asking you to really snatch her," Asha said, poking the fire. "Go and understand him. Maybe when we raid the West again in the future, it will be useful."
"Alright, get out," Balon waved his hand impatiently. "I have things to discuss with your sister."
"Oh, okay."
Theon turned to leave the room, but Asha's voice came from behind him again: "If you go, you might not come back."
Hearing Asha say this, Theon felt annoyed and turned around somewhat angrily, wanting to know if he should go or not. He looked back; Balon still looked disgusted, and only Asha explained patiently, "Now only Father and Stannis are left as kings in Westeros. If you go, won't you be arrested?"
Asha's words were like a thunderclap, leaving Theon stunned.
"But Jon... Jon wouldn't."
"Hah! Then go," Asha said, looking at him like a clown, then turned back to poking the hearth with the iron hook.
The flying sparks reminded Theon of the houses he set on fire in the West. The scene back then really made him feel excited.
"Alright, get out. I have things to discuss with Father."
"Oh," Theon answered listlessly.
Closing the door, he had only taken two steps when he suddenly froze.
"Wait! I am Father's only son!" Thinking of this, Theon felt a sense of crisis.
In fact, he had several older brothers, but they all died in battle during Balon's last rebellion.
I am a Greyjoy, I am not a Stark! A gust of damp, cold sea breeze blew, and Theon felt much more awake.
He reflected in his heart, hoping to regain the confidence and posture an Ironborn should have.
But thinking of Jon and Robb, he felt somewhat powerless.
Maybe he could exchange a few moves with Robb in martial arts, but in military strategy, he was far inferior. Now he couldn't even command a few warships; the only one he had was the Sea Bitch given to him by Balon.
As for Jon, he was even less confident. Jon was a monster whose martial arts and strategy were far beyond ordinary people. Whether it was the West or the North, he couldn't generate any thought of plundering them.
Catelyn was from the Riverlands, Margaery was from the Reach. at a glance, there were no targets left along the Sunset Sea to plunder.
And Theon knew that if he couldn't lead the Ironborn to plunder, they wouldn't acknowledge him.
Theon left Balon's room in agitation and returned to his own quarters.
Lying on the bed, Theon tossed and turned, as if there were hedgehogs under his body.
Need to find a woman.
Theon thought to himself. Since the last raid on the West, the Iron Islands didn't lack servants to work and women to vent on.
Just as he got up, he saw a raven standing on his window sill. The raven was huge, at least bigger than any raven Theon had ever seen, about two feet tall. Such a large living creature invading his room made him feel very uncomfortable.
He stood up to close the window, but found the raven seemed to be observing him.
Looking closer, this raven actually had a red, malicious eye.
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